Feed-water



A'rnNiT onirica.

FEED-WATER APPARATUS FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

\ Specilcation of Letters Patent No. 11,433," dated .August 1, 1854,

To all whom z'z may concern.' ,c

Be it known that I, BnNJAMiN F. BEE, of Harwich, in the county ofBarnstable and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and ImprovedApparatus or Machine for` Supplying Steam-Boilers with Water, to whichIhave given the title of Hydrotant; and` I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation ofthe same, reference being had to the` annexed drawings,

making which-- c `Figure l is a `plan view;` Fig. 2, aifront elevation;Figz, an end elevation; Fig. 4, aL front elevation `of the table orslide upon which Fig. 2, is bolted.

A represents the outer surface of the a` part i of this specification,in

boiler to which the machine is to be aiiiXed.

\ B is the bedpiece of the machine, bolted upon the above named surface,with an obi long, vertical, opening, communicating with the boiler andthe space a, in which the steamvalve C stands, and through the port c,with the space contained within the chest of the hydrotant. b bareflanges upon either side of this bed, which are embraced by `angularlflanges Z cl, extending from the table.

1 T is the table, sliding vertically upon the bed, being held in steamtight contact with the same by the set screw e e e.

E is the chest, bolted upon thetable containing the valves, stem,connections, &c.

D is the water valve, lying horizontally with its ports communicatingrespectively with the top, and bottom, of the air chamber.

F is a `vertical section of the air chamber, pipes, &c.

G is the valve stem.

H is the fingers, or clutch, which being pinned upon the stem, transmits`its motion l, to the valves C,\D, by the projections i i t', intrudinginto the spaces cast in the valves.

I` `is a `rocking shaft, to which a reciproeating, intermittent, motionbeing given by suitable connection with some prime mover,

; the like motion is communicated by means ciples and practice, of itsoperation.

The machine being confined substantially upon the boiler, at a properheight in reff erence to the waterline, (thisbeing shown in Fig. 3, Lbeing the water line, or level, at which the present hydrotant might be'supposed to retain the water, in a boiler of one horsepower,) `the pipeP being `duly connected with the tank or reservoir; which may be placedat any height above the level of the air chamber; water will flow intothe air chamber, and compress the air contained therein, and stand atabout c. Suppose now the rocking shaft, lever, be in the positionrepresented in the drawings.` There will then be free communicationbetweenthe boiler, and chest` of the hydrotant, for the to and fropassage of water and steam; and as the water valve D is closed and heldtight upon its seat by the pressure of the steam, no steam 'can escapefrom the chest into the air chamber, or water pass from the chamber intothe chest. It is plain that an equilibrium of steam and water willimmediately take place in the boiler and chest, and if previouscircumstances had caused the water to stand at L `in, the-boiler, thesame level will continue through the passages and parts of thehydrotant. At the next change oftheshaft, lever, &c., the state of thevalves will be reversed. The steam valveC, will close the port c, andexclude all communication be* tween the boiler and chest. The samemotion `causes the valve D, to open the ports leading to the airchamber. `Itwill be seen stem, valves, `ac.,

by an inspection of the drawings `that the port m/Figz 2, is continuedupward above i the probable height of the `water in air chamber;alsothat the port` n, is continued downward by its coincidence withgthespace 0, in valve l). Now whatever steam the chest contained attheinstant of change invalves,

Vwill naturally seek the highest outlet, z', e,

the port mfand mingle with the air at the top of the chamber. The wateron `the contrary will seek t-he lowest course, through the port a, andhaving no counteracting in-` uence,

the passage to the boiler when we shall End the water in the chest, asmuch higherthan will completely fill thechest. The `next change closesthe `water ports and opens water from the tank, and so on. Now if theconsumption of water in the boiler be suspended, and the interchange ofthe valves be continued; thequantityof water introduced at each feedwill lessen continually, until the level of the water in boiler, arrivesat the upper surface of the chest, when it will be nothing, and thesupply will cease. And Vice versa, should the consumption of wat-er bedisproportionately great, the supply will continue to augment, until theentire content of the chest is delivered at each feed; which content iscalculated to be such as amply to defray all reasonable expenditures,and leave a surplus for eXi-l gencies.

Thus far we have considered the operation of the hydrotant asmaintainingl the height of the water at a particular point; but itis notinfrequently the case that for various reasons, we may wish to vary thisheight. To effect this the table T, is made movable upon the bed pieceB. A few turns of the screw S, 'causes this table to rise or fallacording to the direction, thus causing the chest with all itsattachments to rise or fall, thus varying within certain limits theheight at which the water will be sustained.

`ln ordinary cases where thepipe leading from the reservoir to thechamber is of suflicient length, its flexibility will accommodate thisrise and fall; when this flexibility is wanting, the pipe P, is renderedsmooth and true, and surrounded with the boX and p acking p, throughwhich it may move watertight.

Experience has shown that the rocking shaft, and consequently thevalves, should make about twenty double changes or strokes per minute;and as small a portionof the time as possible, should be consumed inmaking these changes, that the water may have the more time in which toperform its evolutions. v

By the compression of the air in the air chamber (F) as specified, muchunnecessary frictionl is Ataken o from the slide valve (D), by reason ofthe counteracting pressure, on a portion of its area, (when the valvei's closed against the admission of water) to the steam in the chest (E)acting upon the opposite side of the valve; but the greatest importanceof the compressed air and water vessel (F) is that, in connection withthe steam being admitted by pipe uninterruptedly and clear through andabove the water therein when the valve (D) opens to pass water to thechest (E), an immediate and forcible ydischarge of water takes placeinto the chest and a sufficiency of supply is insured therein howeverrapidly the valve may be run, by reason of the compressed air above thewater inthe vessel assisting the discharge in addition to the force ofthe steam acting on the water. This immediate and certain supply wouldnot be insured were the steam to be allowed to nd its way through thewater itself or were the discharge of the water solely dependent uponthe pressure of steam above the water in the supply vessel (F), as sometime must necessarily elapse before the steam nds its way above thewater in the supply vessel (F) and before the steam in the valve chest(E) and in the space above the water in the supply vessel (F) arrive atthe same elastic force or pressure, to permit of the water being passedinto the chest, by reason of the cooling effect on the steam which thewater in the supply vessel (F) exerts as compared with the temperatureand elastic force or pressure of the steam in the valve chest (E) Theconstant supply of compressed air which is maintained in the supplyvessel F, it is obvious, quickens the escape of water into the chest andneutralizes the tardiness naturally consequent upon the flow of thesteam into the supply vessel above the water and the difference ofpressure of the steam which, for a time, must unavoidably exist i nE hesupply vessel (F) and valve chest l do not claim of themselves, as newin boiler feeders, a water chest and slide valve operating in connectionwith a water supply vessel and arranged so as to be self regulating inkeeping up a proper level of water in the boiler; nor yet do I claim asnew, causing the steam from the boiler to act, by pipe conveying itthereto, upon the surface of the water in the supply vessel tofacilitate the discharge of water therefrom to the boiler. But

I do claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters 'Patentl.The arrangement herein specied of the double slide valve (C and D) waterchest (E) and steam and water passages (m vn o and c) with the watersupply vessel (F) when the said supply vessel is made to form acompressed air receptacle by the immersion of the supply pipe (P) belowthe top surface of the water therein, or the compression of the air inthe supply vessel beingV otherwise equivalently produced, and so that, astrong atmospheric pressure is brought to bear upon the surface of thewater to serve, conjointly with the steam passing from the water chestthrough pipe into the compressed air receptacle, to establish thatnecessary equilibrium of pressure above and below the water in thesupply vessel to produce a flow, and whereby the effect by condensationor cooling of the steam entering the supply vessel is neutralized and amore m- Water will be sustained, by raising and mediate and certaindlsoharge of Water into lowering the chest (E) Aand its attachments.

the chest insured, as herein set forth; the BENJAMIN F. BEE. Whole beingconstructed and operating sub- Witnesses: i 5 stantially s specified.FRANCIS CARR,

2. And I further claim the method herein B. F. LEONARD.

` described of varying the height at which the

